My View: Library expansion will bring great benefits to Monroe

Friday

Oct 26, 2007 at 2:00 AM

The Monroe Town Board has finally decided to put the Monroe Free Library building expansion referendum on the ballot on Election Day, Nov. 6. What a surprise it was to find this out after months of delays caused by premature, undue stipulations put upon the library by the Town Board.

Denise A. Harris

The Monroe Town Board has finally decided to put the Monroe Free Library building expansion referendum on the ballot on Election Day, Nov. 6. What a surprise it was to find this out after months of delays caused by premature, undue stipulations put upon the library by the Town Board.

Unbeknownst to the board of trustees, the Town Board voted at an emergency highway meeting Sept. 4 to pass a resolution to put the library's request on the ballot. Three weeks later, on Sept. 27, the library board received a letter from the town attorney advising the library board that the referendum would now be on the Nov. 6 ballot.

While the road to getting the referendum was rather twisted, we are here now! The board of trustees is excited about being able to provide the opportunity for our community to vote on a much-needed expanded library on Election Day.

This is our opportunity to improve the village, enhance our quality of life and realize the importance of being an education-minded community. It is an opportunity that spans generations, allowing all of us to enjoy first-rate programs and resources right here in the heart of Monroe.

The expanded building will cost $11.9 million, but it will be money well-spent. The average taxpayer will spend about $90 a year on this building.

Many have agreed that we need a new library. Others have said "the building should be $7 or $8 million." The library is driven by the size of the community, not a budget randomly decided and then acted upon. In fact, if we built a library for $7 million or $8 million, it would result in a much smaller library at a relatively insignificant reduction in our tax burden because, like a mortgage, it would be paid off over 30 years. Our current library was built in 1960, expanded in 1984, and is smaller than the state requirements for a children's library.

We have already economized by reusing the existing building in this plan. With your financial support, we thoughtfully acquired the property right next door. This is not a fancy library; instead, it provides much-needed square footage so that we can operate a proper library within state guidelines and mandates for service and operations.

On Election Day, there will also be a referendum to increase the Monroe Free Library budget. This increase of $84,000 will cost the taxpayer an additional $14. So, for a total estimated cost of about $104, the value is given back to us in a revitalized downtown, programming, community space and our property values.

In all likelihood, this is the community's last opportunity — for the foreseeable future — to realize a much-needed facility. We have worked hard to bring this opportunity to you. On Election Day, we encourage you to carefully weigh the benefits of this proposal, what the library means to our town and how we want to make our village and our community a better place.

I leave you with this editorial, as stated in the Times Herald-Record on Oct. 5: "The requests add up to a bargain for Monroe taxpayers who should show up and vote yes on Nov. 6. All these improvements will cost Monroe taxpayers less than a trip to the movies or a hardcover book. A municipal library is one of the great bargains in our community life. This is an investment that Monroe taxpayers cannot afford to pass up. Voters should approve both (the operating budget and the building expansion referendum) because they will bring the town and its residents so much."